“It was the highest form of public service to step up and help essential workers and all New Yorkers during a time of need. That’s why I joined HPD in the first place.”
Sarah Mallory came to HPD nearly four years ago driven by the desire to serve New Yorkers through good government. She came in as a senior legislative analyst and quickly worked her way up to Executive Director of Government Affairs. Whether she’s in the office or at home, her commitment to civic engagement is a constant, and during the pandemic, she stepped up in a big way to serve the city she loves.
After working for the City Council in both Los Angeles and New York, I knew I wanted to continue in public service. I was hooked. I started at HPD in 2017 after working as an organizer on the Hillary campaign in Philadelphia. Although I knew I wanted to come back to New York once things wrapped up, when the 2016 campaign ended in a way that nobody expected, I was lucky to find the perfect job at HPD.
I love what I do. As Executive Director of Government Affairs, I work with elected officials and their staff at all levels of government, as well as key policy makers, advocates, and stakeholders to make sure the agency is responding to legislation, policy, constituent services, and land use and planning issues, all while pushing HPD’s proactive legislative agenda. One of my favorite parts of the job is working across the many divisions at HPD. There is so much thought and coordination that goes into every legislative response at HPD because there are so many impacts that can ripple from what seems like a simple change. A bill or land use policy can end up crossing multiple teams within HPD and even multiple agencies, so I’m always working on new topics with a wide range of incredible public servants.
Thanks to my training at HPD, I’ve gained valuable project management skills that allowed me to serve this city in a completely different way during the COVID-19 pandemic. In late March, at the height of the pandemic, I was asked to volunteer for the COVID-19 Surge Capacity Team as the Director for Healthcare Staffing. We helped the hardest hit hospitals, nursing homes, and long-term care facilities get the medical and support staff they needed to treat the flood of patients. It was the highest form of public service to step up and help essential workers and all New Yorkers during a time of need. That’s why I joined HPD in the first place. During my time in this role, I helped bring over 2,000 volunteers and 1,300 contracted staff to over 150 facilities across the five boroughs, bringing much needed relief to the real heroes working in extreme conditions.
The pandemic has reinforced my belief that civic engagement is vitally important. Now, more than ever, we should be holding our elected leadership accountable to ensure we’re getting the best representation and outcomes for all New Yorkers. One hundred years ago today, the 19th Amendment was certified into the U.S. Constitution, granting women the right to vote. While we celebrate Women’s Suffrage, there’s still much more work to be done to make sure every vote counts. It’s a good time to remind all New Yorkers not to take voting for granted, and make sure you’re registered for the upcoming election! Go to voting.nyc for more information on how to register and vote for the city you want.
Have you filled out the census yet? It is critical that New Yorkers complete their response before the new deadline of September 30 to avoid an incomplete count. More than 40% of New Yorkers have still not responded to the Census, and an undercount could mean New York will lose two seats in Congress and billions of dollars in federal funding for health care, schools, roads, hospitals, and more. Too much is at stake. Fill out your census today at my2020census.gov (simply enter your address in the form to get started) or by calling 844–330–2020.
